{{Quote|Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain; he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life-|[[Harry Potter]] as [[Lord Voldemort]] casts the Cruciatus on him.|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}

{{Quote|Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain; he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life-|[[Harry Potter]] as [[Lord Voldemort]] casts the Cruciatus on him.|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}

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The '''Cruciatus Curse''' (also known as the '''Torture Curse'''<ref>{{GOFF}}</ref>) is one of the three [[Unforgivable Curses]] of the [[wizarding world]]. It is a curse of torture, inflicting excruciating pain on a victim. This makes it popular among the [[Death Eaters]] for use on both fellow wizards and [[Muggle]]s. Considering the fact that this curse doesn't physically harm the victim, it is possible that it only stimulates pain receptors. Whenever a person explains he/she wants to use it, they will say Crucio

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The '''Cruciatus Curse''' (also known as the '''Torture Curse'''<ref>{{GOFF}}</ref>) is one of the three [[Unforgivable Curses]] of the [[wizarding world]]. It is a curse of torture, inflicting excruciating pain on a victim. This makes it popular among the [[Death Eaters]] for use on both fellow wizards and [[Muggle]]s. Considering the fact that this curse doesn't physically harm the victim, it is possible that it only stimulates pain receptors. Whenever a person explains he/she wants to use it, they say they will Cruciate.

The two most well-known victims of this curse are the former [[Auror]]s [[Alice and Frank Longbottom]], who were [[Attack on Frank and Alice Longbottom|tortured]] into insanity with it by Death Eaters [[Bellatrix Lestrange|Bellatrix]], [[Rodolphus Lestrange|Rodolphus]], [[Rabastan Lestrange]], and [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr]].

The two most well-known victims of this curse are the former [[Auror]]s [[Alice and Frank Longbottom]], who were [[Attack on Frank and Alice Longbottom|tortured]] into insanity with it by Death Eaters [[Bellatrix Lestrange|Bellatrix]], [[Rodolphus Lestrange|Rodolphus]], [[Rabastan Lestrange]], and [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr]].

Revision as of 12:14, February 8, 2013

"Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain; he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life-"

The Cruciatus Curse (also known as the Torture Curse[1]) is one of the three Unforgivable Curses of the wizarding world. It is a curse of torture, inflicting excruciating pain on a victim. This makes it popular among the Death Eaters for use on both fellow wizards and Muggles. Considering the fact that this curse doesn't physically harm the victim, it is possible that it only stimulates pain receptors. Whenever a person explains he/she wants to use it, they say they will Cruciate.

Harry Potter attempted to use this curse on both Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape after people he cared about were killed. He later used this curse on Amycus Carrow, with a certain degree of success.

To successfully perform this curse, the wizard or witch must possess a deep desire to cause the victim pain. For example, despite being furious with Bellatrix Lestrange for her murder of his godfather in 1996, Harry Potter was only able to cause her a brief moment of pain with the Cruciatus Curse because he used it in "righteous anger," though he was still able to knock her off of her feet with it. [2] He performed it more powerfully in 1998 on Amycus Carrow, who spat in Minerva McGonagall's face. Amycus was thrown into the air and knocked unconscious[3]. This suggests that although Harry's curse was intense, he still lacked the fundamental sadism to inflict prolonged, excruciating pain with it. On the other hand, due to Bellatrix being a witch with great sadistic intents and no conscience, she was able to cast the curse with great potency, and seemingly had an affinity to it.

Effects

"At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Harry was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently..."

The pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse is described as worse than "one thousand white-hot knives, boring into the skin."[4] This pain can cause permanent mental injury, as in the case of the aforementioned Longbottoms, who spent the rest of their lives in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries because of the trauma the curse caused.[2] Presumably, such permanent effects occur if the victim is exposed to a particularly intense curse for a long period of time.

If the curse hits an inanimate object, it may cause it to shatter instead.[3]

Defence

Once cast, there is no spell that can defend against the Cruciatus Curse.[5] However, there are still defensive options available against it. The spell can be dodged by hiding behind a solid object, and a particularly strong-willed wizard can merely resist the pain until the spell is lifted (though, as noted above, prolonged expose can cause permanent mental damage). Another option is to interrupt the caster before they can finish speaking the incantation, as Severus Snape did to great effect against Harry Potter in 1997 by using Legilimency to anticipate the spells he would use.

History

Creation

The Cruciatus Curse was invented during the early middle ages, by dark witches or wizards. The curse was created for torture purposes, but has also been used effectively in duels. According to Barty Crouch Jr., the curse was once very popular.

Legal Status

The Cruciatus curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses, which means it is completely illegal. However, it was probably legalised when Voldemort had possesion of the Ministry of Magic. It is possible that Aurors had a right to use it in extreme cases.

History of Use

"The Cruciatus, Imperius and Avada Kedavra Curses were not made "unforgivable" until 1717."

After the Wizards' Council was reformed into the Ministry of Magic tighter restrictions were placed on the use of certain kinds of magic. The Cruciatus Curse was deemed by the Ministry to be dark magic, and, along with the Imperius and Killing curses, were declared "unforgivable" in 1717. The use of any of these three curses on a fellow human being would result in a life sentence in Azkaban (unless there was sufficient evidence that the caster did so under the influence of the Imperius Curse or for other defensible reasons).

When Lord Voldemorttook over the Ministry, the three curses were once again legalised: this time every wizard and witch had the right to use them as they please. In fact, they were practiced in Hogwarts as part of the curriculum of Dark Arts class under the tutelage of ProfessorAmycus Carrow: students were required to practice the Cruciatus Curse on other students who earned detention, and the Carrow siblings used it to punish students as they see fit. Harry Potter managed to succesfully use it on Amycus Carrow without legal consequences as well as a result of this legalisation. After Voldemort's death and the revolutionising of the Ministry under new Minister for MagicKingsley Shacklebolt, the three curses were once again forbidden.

Possible uses

As Harry Potter chases Severus Snape away from Hogwarts at the end of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, he is hit from behind by a curse cast by one of the Carrow siblings. Although we never hear the incantation, he falls to the ground, screaming, and momentarily loses track of what's going on. This description, coupled with the fact that the Carrows had been trying to curse him all the way down from the Astronomy Tower, makes it likely that he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse.

Since Luna was held prisoner at Malfoy Manor for months, it is likely she was also tortured with it.

As mentioned above, Harry attempted to use this curse against Bellatrix after she murdered his godfather, Sirius Black. Though the curse gave her a brief moment of terrible pain, it did not cause the excruciating, drawn-out pain it is meant to give.[2]

Following Professor Snape killing Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Harry pursued him and tried to curse him, but Snape blocked it, citing Harry's inferior skills in Occlumency. All Harry had managed to get out was the first syllable of the incantation.[8]

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on what he believed to be Harry Potter's dead body as a way of dishonouring it and to show he had won. Harry felt no pain because the wand Voldemort used, the Elder Wand, refused to harm its true master. However, Harry's body was tossed around by the force of the spell.[3]

Etymology

Crucio means 'I torture'. Cruciatus takes its name from the Latin word for "pain" or "torture," the root of which can be seen in other words such as "excruciating" and "crucifixion."

Behind the scenes

When Harry Potter attempts to cast this spell on Bellatrix Lestrange, a ball of red light is fired from the tip of his wand, most likely because his spell was cast with "righteous anger". not outright sadism. The spell still had enough force to knock Lestrange off her feet.

Severus Snape once asserted Harry Potter had neither the nerves nor the skill to perform Unforgivable Curses.[8] However, less than a year later, Harry succeeded in cursing Amycus Carrow. - This move was met with criticism by some fans, who felt that Harry had sunk to the same level as his enemies in using it in such a manner. J.K. Rowling countered such criticism by asserting that "Harry is not, and never has been, a saint", and that he has flaws of character like everybody else.[10]